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Report 
No. 932. 











MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 



December 16, 1910. — Ordered to be printed. 



Mr. SwANSON, from the Committee od the Library^ submitted the 

following 

REPORT. 

[To accompany S. 2517.] 

The Committee on the Library, to whom was referred the bill 
(S. 2517) for the erection of a monument to the memory of Gen. 
William Campbell, have had the same under consideration and 
report it back without amendment. 

A similar bill was favorably reported from the Library Committee 
in the Sixtieth Congress and passed the Senate. The report on that 
occasion is reprinted herewith. 



[Senate Report 557, Sixtieth Congress, first session.] 

The Committee on the LiBrary, to whom was refen-ed the bill (S. 5295) for the 
erection of a monument to the memory of Gen. William Campbell, submit the follow- 
ing report and recommend that the bill do pass. 

In 1780, in the dark days of the Revolutionary War, William Campbell, a colonel of 
militia, in the service of Virginia, led 400 men from Washington County, Va^ to 
South Carolina. AVith the militia from North and South Carolina, and a few from 
Georgia, he marched against the British commander, Ferguson, who had his forces 
on tlie crown of Kings Mountain, in South Carolina, near the North Carolina border, 
and completely annihilated them. 

The victory, which was won on the 7th of October, 1780, was great and the exploit 
one of the most intrepid and brilliant in the annals of war. It was decisive and far- 
reaching in results, inspiriting the patriots of the Revolution, turning the ill-starred 
course of war, and largely contributing to the surrender of Lord CornwalliF at York- 

The battle was between about 900 American militia under Campbell, while Col. 
Ferguson, the British commander, marshaled some 1,000 Tories and about 125 British 

Tf^O"!! 1 ill's 

The importance of the event and the valor of Col. William Campbell, the coni; 
mander, as well as that of his fellow soldiers from Virginia, North Carolina, and South 
Carolina, who, with a few Georgians, who share in its glory, deserve this commem- 
oration. They were three time^ flung back by Ferguson and his men, but their 
tenacious and indomitable pluck in about one hour completely destroyed or cap- 
tured the whole of their enemv's forces. 



\<.^'^'^ 



2 MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

/ It was a battle ia which there was not a regular soldier of the American Army, but 
was fou<;ht solely by the people of a few States who helped to create the country and 
to win it.s indej)endence. 

It is well to scatter over the country the memorials of its foundation and to celebrate 
the great deeds of our forefathers. 

Draper remarks, in the preface of his book on the Kings Mountain battle, that — 

"The worthy Kings Mountain centennial very naturally exc-ited much interest 
in the minds of the public regarding the battle itself and its heroic actors, and 
prompted the writer to set about the preparation of his long-promised work." 

There is no greater a.ssurance of our jx'ace and hap}>ine.<s as a nation than may be 
Sound in cultivating acquaintance with ourselves and our common history. 

THE TURNING POINT OF THE REVOLUTION. 

The Battle of Kings Mountain was the turning point in the Revolutionary War in 
favor of American independence. Gen. Washington proclaimed the result in general 
orders of congratulation to the Army as "An imjiortant advantage gained." Gens. 
Gates. Greene, and Lee, and Chief Justice Marshall all paid the highest compliments 
to Gen. Campbell and his forces. 

Lossingsays: 

"No battle during the war was more obstinately contested than this: it completely 
crushed the spirits of the loyalists and weakened beyond recovery the royal power 
in the Carolinas." 

The historian Bancroft says: 

"The victory at Kings Mountain, which in the spirit of the American soldiers was 
like the rising at Concord, in its effects like the success at ]5eiinington, changed the 
aspects of the war. The loyalists of North Carolina no longer dared rise. It fired 
tiie patriots of the two Carolinas with fresh zeal. It encouraged the fragments of the 
defeated and scattered American Army to seek each other and organize themselves 
anew. It quickened the North Carolina Legislature to earnest efforts. It encouraged 
Virginia to devote her resources to the country south of her border. The appearance 
on the frontiers of a numerous enemy from the settlements l)eyond the mountains, 
whose very names had been unknown to the Briti.«h. took Cornwalli.< by surprise, 
and their success was fatal to his intended expedition. He had hoped to step with 
ease from one Carolina to the other, and from those to the conquest of Virginia; and 
he had now no choice but to retreat'' (p. 375). 

Washington Irving declares that "the Battle of Kings Mountain, inconsiderable 
though it was in numbers engaged, turned the tide of southern warfare." Cornwallis 
fully recognized the extent of the great disaster. .Jefferson declared "that memorable 
victory was the joyful annunciation of the turning of the tide of success which ter- 
minated the War of the Revolution with the seal of independence." Dr. Draper says: 

"And richly did the heroes who marched under Campbell's banners deserve all the 
praise so generously bestowed upon them. Kings Mountain paved the way for the 
successive advantages gained by the American armies at. lirst, Dam Ford. Blackstocks, 
Cowpens, Guilford, and Kutaw, and. ultimately, for the crowning victory of Yorktown 
with the glorious fruition of independence forever." 

The conclusions of Draper will be quoted time and again for the rea.-^on that his 
painstaking care and his rare knowledge of the subject impart an historic value to his 
utterance which does not attach to this writer. 

GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

Gen. William Campbell was a leader of his times in many critical conjunctures. 
In all of them he acted with wisdom and courage, and died while under the Marquis de 
Lafayette, on his way to Yorktown. after being promoted to brigadier-general under an 
act of the general assembly of ^'irginia. lie was a son of ( harles Campbell, of Augusta 
County. Va., born in 1745. In Howe's History of Virginia, page 505, the historian 
makes the following statement: 

"Gen. William Campbell, the subject of this memoir, was a native of Augusta, in 
tile State of Virginia, of the true Caledonian race by the maternal line, as well as that 
by the father. 

"Being an only son, he received a liberal education under the best teachers of those 
times. lie had an ardent mind, very susceptible of literary improvement, and 
acquired early in life a correct knowledge of the English language, of ancient and 
modern history, and of several l>ranches of mathematics. 

"Nature had formed him for a commander in military capacity. His personal 
appearance was grave and masculine, being about 6 feet high, and well proportioned; 



JAN :iai!9ii 



MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 3 

in conversation rather reserved and thoughtful; in his written communications 
expressive and elegant. His patriotism was not of a timid cast. He never balanced 
between his military duty and prudential maxims. When his ire was excited he 

' showed in his countenance the fury of Achilles. The trusty Andreferrars, the sword he 
wore on the day of battle, was once the property of his grandfather from Scotland, and 
, hehad an arm and a spirit that could wield it with effect." 

'^ 

-c::?^,.,,^ THE EXPEDITION TO POINT PLEASANT. 

z Gen. William Campbell's military life began at the age of 29, when he commanded 
£ a company of militia from the county of Fincastle, Va. (now Washington County), 
^ upon an expedition to Point Pleasant, on the Ohio River, being under Gen. Andrew 
* Lewis. 
S 

THE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY AND THE RESOLUTIONS OF RESISTANCE OF JANUARY 20, 1775. 

Immediately after his return from that expedition, on the 20th day of January, 1775, 
he was one of the committee on safety appointed by the freeholders of Fincastle (now 
Washington) County, to draft resolutions in response to the Continental Congress. 
This committee was composed of Rev. Charles Cummings, Col. William Preston, 
Col. Walliam Christian, Capt. Stephen Trigg, Maj. Arthur Campbell, Maj. W^illiam 
Ingles, Capt. Walter Crockett, Capt. John Montgomery, Capt. James McGacock, 
€apt. William Campbell, Capt. Thomas Madison (brother of James Madison, after- 
wards Pi'esident of the United States), Capt. Daniel Smith, Capt. William Russell, 
Capt. Evans Shelby, and Lieut. W^illiam Thompson, names which have become 
memorable in history both of our civil and military life. This committee assembled 
on the day of their appointment, and, so far as we have any record, their resolutions 
were the first in which the freeholders of any coimty of the colonies declared against 
the oppression and misrule of the British GoveiTiment. The concluding paragraph of 
what might well be termed "the first declaration of independence" was as follows: |gjj 

"But if no pacific measures shall be proposed or adopted by Great Britain, and our 
enemies will attempt to dragoon us out of these inestimable privileges to which we 
are entitled as subjects, and to reduce us to a state of slavery, we declare that we are 
deliberately and resolutely determined never to surrender them to any power upon 
earth but at the expense of our lives. 

"These are our real, though unpolished sentiments of liberty and loyalty, and in 
them we are resolved to live and die." 

This address was unanimously agreed to by the people of Fincastle County and 
forwarded to Peyton Randolph, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, Patrick 
Henry, jr., Richard Bland, Benjamin Harrison, and Edmund Pendleton, Esqs., dele- 
gates from the colony of Virginia, who had attended the Continental Congress held at 
Philadelphia. 

THE DUNMORE WAR AND THE RESOLUTION OP JULY 15, 1775. 

On the 9th day of April, 1775, the British governor, Dunmore, of the colony of Vnginia, 
upon a plea that insurrection existed in a neighboring county, removed" the powder 
stored in the public magazine at Williamsburg, Va., and placed it on board ship. 
This action provoked a great deal of discontent, and shortly thereafter Patrick Henry, 
who placed no confidence in the governor, resolved upon an effort to recover the 
powder. He organized a company in his own county and marched to Williamsburg. 
At the same time William Campbell, moved by the same spu-it, organized a company 
of militia in Fincastle (now W'ashington) County, and, joining Patrick Henry, the 
two companies went to Williamsburg. 

The committee of safety of Fincastle County, of which Capt. William Campbell was 
a member, again met on July 15, 1775, and adopted the following resolution; 

"Resolved, That the spirited and meritorious conduct of Patrick Henry, Esq., and the 
rest of the gentlemen volunteers attending him on the occasion of the removal of the 
gunpowder out of the magazine in Williamsburg, very justly merits the very hearty 
approbation of this committee, for which we return them our thanks, with an assurance 
that we will, at the risk of our own lives and fortunes, support and justify them with 
regard to the reprisal they made." 

THE FIGHT AT HAMPTON, SEPTEMBER 3, 1775. 

On the 3d day of September, 1775, a British ship of war was driven ashore near 
Hampton, Va., during a storm, and on the morning of the 4th the people set fire to it 
and destroyed the ship. The captain of the ship threatened to burn the town and 



4 MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

actually trit'd fc do s(.. But tho Virginia committee of safety dispatched Col. ^Vood- 
ford wi'th three iumpanies of riflemen to the assistance of the people of Hampton. Of 
the three comi^nit-.s thus dispatched one was the company of Fmcastle County troops 
under ("apt. Williaiu ("ani])bell. , ■ j 

Wlu-n thf Hritish cupiain hejran his attack on the town he was so warmly received 
by Col. Woodford an.l his men that he took to flight after the loss of a number of men. 
Thus it will be seen that troops from Fincastle County took part in the first engage- 
ment of the Revolutionary War on \'irginia soil in which blood was shed, Capt. William 
Campbell leading them. r, i. n < 

Howe, in his history of N'irginia. savs that in the year 1775 \\ illiam Campbell was of 
the first'regular troops raised in Virginia, beincj honored with a captain's commission 
in the first"regiment. The company which William Campbell commanded was com- 
posed of men"who were at that time living in the frontier settlements of Virginia and 
who marchi'd s.'veral hundred miles in fact, almost across the State— to testify to 
their devotion to the principles enunciated in their respective resolutions of January 
20, 1775, and which may l)e termed "the first declaration of independence." flere 
Capt. Cami)bell served with distinction until ravages by Indians, who by that time 
had formed an alliance with the English troops, caused his resignation, to return and 
protect the homes of his people in P'incastle (now Washington) County. 

BATTLE AT LOXG ISLAND FLATS, JULY 19, 1776. 

Upon returning home Capt. William Campbell participated in the battle of Long 
Island Flats, about 15 miles west of the present city of Bristol, Va.-Tenn., which 
was an engagement between the colonists and Indians and occurred on the 
19th day of July, 1776, resulting in an overwhelming victory for the frontiersmen. 
In this "battle Capt. Campbell had the cooperation and assistance of the men who 
afterwards accompanied him to Kings Mountain in 1780. 

COUNTIES OP WASHINGTON, MONTGOMERY, AND KENTUCKY FORMED DECEMBER, 1776. 

In the month of December, 1776, the county of Fincastle, Va., by act of the General 
Assembly of the State, was extinguished by the formation of three counties, to wit, 
Wa.shington. Montgomery, and Kentucky. William Campbell was commissioned a 
member of the county court of Washhigton County, and participated in the first 
meeting of that courtheld at Blacks Fort (now Abingdon) on the last Tuesday in 
January, 1777, it being the 28th day of the month. As a member of the county court 
he took a jjrominent part in all measures affecting his county, including its organiza- 
tion. 

COLONEL OF MILITIA IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA. — OPPOSITION TO TORIES IN 1779. 

About this time, in response of resolutions passed by the Continental Congress, 
providing for the organization of militia in the several counties of the colonies, William 
Campbell was elected and commissioned lieutenant colonel of the militia for Wash- 
ington County. Subsequently, upon the resignation of the colonel, William Campbell 
became colonel of the regimental militia of Washington County. 

In the summer of 1779 Tories, living on the headwaters of the Yadkin River in 
North Carolina and New River in Virginia, began forming into a body with the inten- 
tion of destroying the lead mines on New River, robljing the well-affected citizens 
of Montgomery County, and forcing their way to the headquarters of Lord Cornwallis, 
who was at that time in the Carolinas. There was every prospect an insurrection 
would immediately take place. Col. William Campbell was requested by Col. 
Preston, of Montgomery County, to render assistance in suppressing the threatened 
insurrection. He responded i)romptly, and his presence in Montgomerv County 
and his reputation as a leader of the Continental forces struck consternation in the 
ranks of the Tories, who dispersed upon his approach and offered no open resistance. 
The threatened insurrection was thereby prevented. 

As a result of the operations of Col. Campbell during the summer of 1779, and with 
a view to protecting,' him, the General Assembly of \ir_rinia a(lo|)ted the following 
resolutions: 

"AN ACT To indemnify William Camiibell, Walter Crockett, and others concerned in suppressing a 

late conspiracy. 

"Whereas diyers evil-disposed persons on the frontiers of this Commonwealth had 
broken out into an open insurrection and conspiracy, and actually levied war against 
the Commonwealth, and it is represented to the present General" Assembly that Wil- 
liam Campbell, Walter Crockett, and other liege subjects of the Commonwealth, aided 



MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 5 

by detachments of the militia and vohmteers from the county of Washington and 
other parts of the frontiers, did, by timely and effectual exertion, suppress and defeat 
such conspii'acy; and 

"Whereas the necessary measures taken for that purpose may not be strictly war- 
ranted by law, although justifiable from the immediate urgency and imminence of 
the danger; 

"Be it therefore declared a?id enacted, That the said William Campbell, Walter Crockett, 
and all other persons whosoever concerned in suppressing the said conspiracy and 
insurrection, or in advising, issuing, or executing any orders or measures taken for 
that purpose, stand indemnified and clearly exonerated of and from all pains, penal- 
ties, prosecutions, actions, suits, and damages on account thereof; and that if any 
indictment, prosecution, action, or suit shall be laid or brought against them or any 
of them for any act or thing done therein, the defendant or defendants may plead in 
bar, or the general issue, and give this act in CAddence." 

SUPPRESSION OF TORIES AND INDIANS IN 1780. 

During the months of August and September, 1780, 150 men from Washington County 
saw active service on New River about the lead mines and over the mountains in 
North Carolina, under the command of Col. William Campbell, in preventin and sup- 
pressing threatened insurrection of the Tories in those quarters. 

In the month of September, 1780, the Cherokee Indians began to give evidence of 
an unfriendly disposition, and every indication pointed to an Indian war. The 
governor of Virginia directed Col. Campbell to take command of an expedition against 
them. While preparation's were being made for this expedition and men were being 
mustered into service Col. Campbell received letters from Cols. Isaac Shelby and John 
Sevier requesting his assistance in a contemplated expedition against Col. Ferguson, a 
British officer then stationed at Gilberttown, N. C, with about 1,100 troops. 

THE UNION WITH THE NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINIANS. 

Acting under the orders of the governor previously given. Col. Campbell joined this 
expedition at Sycamore Shoals, on the Watauga River, with 400 men from Washington 
County, Va. 

This mountain army, upon reaching Quaker Meadows, the country home of Col. 
McDowell, in Surry County, N. C, was composed of about 1,500 men from the coun- 
ties of Surry, Wilkes, Burke, Washington, and Sullivan, N. C, the county of Washing- 
ton, Va., and the South Carolinians of Surry. 

The men with whom Campbell united on his march against Ferguson were under 
McDowell, Shelby, and Sevier. Williams, Cleveland, Winston, Lacey, Hambright, 
Hampton, Brandon, Stone, Chronicle, and others were entitled to their full sharer of 
the glory, which was soon won at Kings Mountain. History has recorded to all their 
meed of praise. 

The larger portion of the forces gathered together, and that Campbell joined were 
the North Carolinians under brave leaders; but Lacey came with Sumter's redoubtable 
veterans, a small but experienced corps from South Carolina. Their number can not 
be accurately stated, and those who participated in the battle were diminished by 
the hard march in pursuit of Ferguson. 

ESTIMATES OF THE AMERICAN FORCE. 

Draper in a note estimates the force assembled for the march to Kings Mountain as 
follows: 

Campbell 's force 400 

Shelby's 240 

Sevier's 240 

McDowell's (160, increased in Burke County to probably 180) 180 

Cleveland and Winston 's 350 

Canodlers's 30 

Lacey's 270 

Williams's 70 

Hambright's, including Chronicle's 60 

Total ■ 1, 840 

It has been estimated as 3,000, and often higher, though by no means is this view 
accepted. (Draper, p. 214.) 

A much less number than this estimate was actually in the battle, as Draper shows. 



Mt>NUMl!:NT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

MAJ. PAT. FEUOU.SON's FOKCES. 

Tlu- histt.rv of tlu- liutlU' of Kings Mountain, by Lyman C. Draper, secretary of the 
Statf Historical S<xiety of Wisconsin, Rives a minute account of the campaign and 
engagement. 

Maj. Patrick I-'.-rguson, the British commanch-r, had posted hi.s troops upon Kings 
Mountain, upon the borders' of Soulli Carolina, not far Irom the North Carolina line. 
His forces wi-re about l.tKMl provinci-ils. raised around New York and New Jersey, 
with some colonists from the region of the battle, of whom no d"(inite account is found. 
Besid-.'S these he had some 12o British regulars, who were valiant men, using freely 
the bayonet. 

THE NUMBEU OF THE AMERICANS SELECTED TO FIGHT THE BATTLE. 

"Before moving to Kings Mountain the combined force at the Cowpens was about 
1,100, nearly all well armed with rifle.s. Here a prompt selection was made by the 
officers from" the several parties just arrived from Flint Hill, so that the whole number 
of mounted men tinally chosen u> pui-sue and attack Ferguson was about 910, besides 
the squad of uncounted footmen, who were probably not so numerous as Spelt sup- 
posed. They may be estimated pro rata, according to the respective strength of their 
respective corps, about as follows: Chosen at Green River — Campbell's men, 200; Shel- 
by e, 120; Sevier's, 120; Cleveland's, 110: McDowell's, 90; and Winston's, 60; total, 
700. Additional troops selected at the Cowpens: Lacey's, 100; Williams's, 60; and 
Graham and Hambright's, 50; total, 210; and making altogether 910 mounted men. 
The squad of uncounted footmen should be added to the number. The little party 
of Georgians seem to have been united with ^\■illiams's men, and served to swell that 
small corps: Chronicle's South Fork boys helped to make up the Lincoln force under 
Graham; while the few footmen doubtless generally joined their respective corps, 
though some, like Spelt's, united with the column most convenient to them when tiie 
time of trial arrived." (Draper, p. 227.) 

[the BATTLEFIELD AND THE BATTLE. 

Kings Mountain took its name from one King, who lived at the foot of the mount with 
his family. 

The Kings Mountain Range is about 16 miles in length. The ground on which the 
battle was fought is some 600 yards long and about 250 from one base across to the 
other, or from 60 to 120 wide on the top, tapering to the south, so narrow that a man 
standing on top of it may be shot on either side. Its summit is some 60 feet above 
the level of the surrounding country. (Draper, 209.) 

Ferguson had his encampment on this spot, and declared that he "was on Kings 
Mountain; that he was king of that mountain, and that God Almighty could not drive 
him from it." 

Shelby took place on the left of the mountain opposite Campbell, Campbell's left 
and Shelby's right eoming together. I'eyond Shelby were ^\'i^iams's command, 
including Brandon and Hammond and Candler, the South Carolinians under Lacey, 
Hathorne, and Steen, with the rest of the Wilkes and Surry men under Cleveland, and 
also the Lincoln troops under Chronicle and Hammond, all under the direction of 
Col. Cleveland. 

Campbell's force was arranged in four ( olumns. two on cither side of the mountain, 
led by Cols. Campbell and Sevier on the right, with Shelby and Cleveland on the left. 
Thus arranged the force advanced to the attack. Cam]ibell led his men A\'ith his coat 
off. The light was swift and fierce, T'eiguson ro] eatedly charging, first upon Camp- 
bell's men. who stood their ground uiitil some of them were thrust through with the 
bayonet, then retreating; then they assailed Shelby, a man of iron, who pressed upon 
them. They, too, had to retreat slowly, firing. 

Lacey's horse w'as shot under him as he and his South Carolinians rushed forward. 
Chroniclo was killed as he led forward his band, with his associates, Lieut. Col. Ham- 
bright. Maj. .loseph Dixon, and Ca]>ts. Mattox, Johnston, White, E.«pev, and Martin. 
Col. Sevier, with McDowell's and Winston's battalions, gainc d the .summit of the hill 
without b(ing charged with the bayonet, save a portion of their left, which hastened to 
support Campbell. W hen Cleveland advanced under fire he exclaimed to his men, 
"Yonder is your enemy and the enemy of mankind ; " and they fought, as did, indeed, 
the whole force of Americans, with resolute determination. 

The battle rolled to and fro until, at the end of about an hour, Ferguson, the com- 
mander, who continuously led his men with desperate courage, was killed, and Capt. 
De Peyster, the next in command, rai.«ed a white handkerchief as a token of sunender. 



MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 7 

A fellow-officer struck it down, but it was quickly raised again, and the whole force 
surrendered . 

Never did a little army fight with more unanimous courage, and never did all of 
them more sternly win the title of heroes. 

THE CHARACTER OF CAMPBELL'S MEN. 

After speaking of Ferguson's men, Draper thus speaks of Campbell's men: 
' ' In the confronting ranks was a very different class of men. Those from the Holston, 
under (Campbell, were a peculiar people — somewhat of the character of Cromwell's 
soldiery. They were, almost to a man, Presbyterians. In their homes, in the Holston 
Valley, they were settled in pretty compact congregations; quite tenacious of their 
religious and civil liberties, as handed down from father to son from their Scotch-Irish 
ancestors. Their preacher. Rev. Charles Cummins, was well fitted for the times; a 
man of piety and sterling patriotism, who constantly exerted himself to encourage his 
people to make every needed sacrifice and put forth every possible exertion in defense 
of the liberties of their country. 

"They were a remarkable body of men, both physically and mentally. Inured to 
frontier life, raised mostly in Augusta and Rockbridge Counties, Va., a frontier region 
in the French and Indian War, they early settled on the Holston, and were accustomed 
from their childhood to border life and hardships; ever ready at the tap of the drum 
to turn out on military service; if in the busiest crop season, their wives, sisters, and 
daughters could, in their absence, plant and sow and harvest. They were better 
educa'ted than most of the frontier settlers, and had a more thorough understanding of 
the questions at issue between the colonies and their mother country. These men 
went forth to strike their country's foes, as did the patriarchs of old, feeling assured 
that the God of battles was with them, and that He would surely crown their efforts 
with success. They had no doubts nor fears. They trusted in God and kept their 
powder dry. Such a thing as a coward was not known among them. How fitting it 
was, that to such a band of men should have been assigned, by Campbell's own good 
judgment, the attack on Ferguson's choicest troops — his Provincial Rangers. It was 
a happv omen of success — literallv the forlorn hope — the right men in the right place." 
(Pp. 242-243.) 

THE KILLED AND WOUNDED OF THE AMERICAN.S. 

Draper says: 

"Of the killed and wounded of the Americans, it is less difficult to get at the facts, 
or at least they are not involved in such contradictory statements as those relating to 
the British losses. Col. Shelby, in his letter to his father, October 12, 1780, men- 
tions 6 officers and 23 privates killed and 54 wounded, but adds that he believes with 
more accurate returns the killed will prove to be 35 and the wounded betAveen 50 and 
60. Col. Campbell, in his letter of October 20, places the number at about 30 
killed and 60 wounded. In the official report, made out apparently somewhat later, 
and hence more reliable, the killed are stated at 28 and the wounded at 62." (Draper 
p. 302.) 

LOSSE.S OF WILLIAMS, BRANDON, STEEN, AND HAMMOND. 



H- 



In the commands of Williams, Brandon, Steen, and Hammond we have no record 
of any loss save that of their gallant leader and the person, whose name is unknown, 
who iaad a presentiment of his death; and William Giles, as already related, slightly 
wounded. Among the South Carolinians, under Lacey and Hawthorn, no killed are 
reported, save, perhaps, David Duff and William Watson, who probably belonged to 
this corps, and but one wounded, Robert Miller, of Chester County, who was badly 
disabled in his thigh. In both of these commands there were probably other losses. 
Of the Rutherford men under Col. Hampton, John Smart and Preston Goforth were 
killed, and Maj. James Porter and William Robertson wounded; but of McDowell's 
Burke County men, we have no knowledge of any deaths or disabilities. (Draper, 
p. 302.) 

LOSSES OF LINCOLN MEN. 

The Lincoln County men, considering their small number, suffered considerably 
in the engagement — Maj. Chronicle, Capt. Mattocks, William Rabb, John Boyd, and 
Arthur Patterson, killed, and Moses Henery mortally wounded; Lieut. Col. Ham- 
bright, Capt. Espey, Robert Henry, William Gilmer, John Chittim, and William 
Bradley, wounded. There must have been other losses, for of Capt. Samuel Martin's 
company of about 20 men, he relates in his pension statement that four were killed and 
two mortally wounded. (Draper, p. 302.) 



8 MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

LOSSES OP SEVIER'S REGIMENT. 

Of Sevier's regiment, William Steele, John Ihwvn, and Michael Mahoney are 
known to have lost their lives in the contest, while Capt. Sevier was mortally, and 
one Gilleland and Patrick Murphv severely wounded. Near the close of the action, 
('apt. Sevier, while stoopin-,' to pick up his ramrod, received a buckshot wound near 
his kidnev; alter the action the British surgeon, Dr. Johnson, endeavored to extract 
the shot, but failed in the effort. (Draper, pp. 302-303.) 

LOSSES OF Shelby's men. 

Col. Shelby's regiment no doubt suffered from lo.sses in the action; but the particu- 
lars are wanting, save that (apt. Shelby, William I'ox, and John Fagon Avere wounded. 
As Shelby's men encountered hard fighting and were repeatedly charged down the 
mountain, they must, necessarily, have lost some of their number and had more 
wounded than (he three whose names are mentioned. 

LOSSES OF Cleveland's and Winston's men. 

Oi the Wilkes and Surry men, under Cleveland and Winston, we have only the 
names of two men killed— Thoma- Bicknell and Daniel Siske, of Wilkes County. 
Maj. Lewis, Capts. Lewis, Smith, and Lenoir, Lieuts. Johnson and J. M. Smith, 
and Charles Cmrdon and John Childers were wounded, the latter badly. \Miere so 
many officers were disabled there must have been several others of this gallant regi- 
meni killed and wounded." ( Drajier, ]). 301.) 

losses OF Campbell's men. 

Col. Campbell's Virginians, who fought so nobly and persistently throughout the 
action, met with severer losses than any other regiment engaged in this hard day's 
contest. Of the killed were Capt. William Edmondson, Lieut. Reece Bowen, William 
Blackburn, and Robert Edmondson, sr.. Ensign Andrew Edmondson, John Beattie, 
James Corry, Nathaniel Dryden, Nathaniel Gist, James Philips, and Humberson 
Lyon, and Private Henry Ilenigar. Lieut. Thomas McCulloch and Ensign James 
Laird, who were mortally wounded, died a few days thereafter. Capt. James Dysart, 
Lieuts. Samuel Newell, Robert Edmondson, jr., and 18 privates wounded, of whom 
were Frederick Fisher, John Skeggs, I^enoni Banning, Charles Kilgore, William BuUen, 
Leonard Hyce, Israel Ilayter, and William Moore, who recovered. The names of the 
other 10 disabled Virginians have not been preserved. 

So badly wounded was William Moore that his leg had to be amputated on the 
field, lie wa.s neces.«arily left at some good Samaritan's, but when his associates 
returned to their distant Holston homes and told the story of their victory and its cost 
in life and suffering, his devoted wife, on learning of her husband's terrible misfortune, 
though in the month of November, mounted her horse and rode all the long and dreary 
journey to the neighborhood of Kings Mountain — such was the intrepidity of the 
frontier women, as well as the men, of those trying times; and having nursed him 
until eufliciently recovered she conveyed him home, and he lived to a good old age, 
dying in 1826, after having received from the Government an invalid pension for 37 
years. 

It is remarkable that 13 officers to only a single private of Campbell's men were 
killed or mortally wounded during the battle — nearly one-half of the fatalities of the 
whole ^^'hig force engaged in the contest. This disparity of losses between the 
leaders and privates is a striking proof how fearlessly the officers exposed them- 
selves in rallying the regiment when broken, and leading on their men by their 
valor and heroic examples to victory. One-third of the wounded were of Campbell's 
regiment. Another remarkable fact is that of eight Edmondsons of the Virginia troops 
engaged that day three were killed and one was wounded — all ]irominent and efficient 
officers of that corps; the survivors haviu^' bcm William Edmondson, the major of the 
regiment, and Privates John, Samuel, and William Edmondson (])p. 304-305). 

draper's account of Campbell's conduct. 

The red-haired Campbell, the daymore of the Argyle gleaming in his hand, and 
his blue eye glittering with a lurid flame, wherever ne was, dashing here and there 
along the line, was himself a host. Mis clarion voice rang out above the clash of 
resounding arms and the peals of successive riflery, encouraging his heroic moun- 
taineers to victory. .\nd thus the battle raged with increased furv the mountain 
men constantly gaining more confidence and steadily lessening the" number of their 
foes (p. 257). 



MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 9 

THE THANKS OF CONGRESS TO COL. CAMPBELL. 

On the 7th of November, 1780, Thomas Jefferson, then governor of Virginia, trans- 
mitted to Congress a letter from Maj. Gen. Gates with an account of the victory 
obtained by the militia over the enemy at Kings Mountain on the 7th of Octolber, 
whereupon, on the 13th day of November, the Continental Congress adopted the 
following resolution: 

' ' Resolved, That Congress entertains a high sense of the spirited and military conduct 
of Colonel Campbell, officers and privates under his command, displayed in the action 
of October seventh, in which a complete victory was obtained over superior numbers 
of the enemy, advantageously posted on Kings Mountain, in the State of South 
Carolina; 

"And that this resolution be published by the commanding officers of the southern 
army in general orders." 

RESOLUTION OF THE TWO HOUSES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRGINIA. 

On the 15th day of November, 1780, the Senate of Virginia passed the following 
resolution : 

"Eesolved, nemine contradicente, That the thanks of this house are justly due to 
Colonel William Campbell, of Washington County, and the brave officers and soldiers 
under his command, who, with an ardor truly patriotic, in the month of September 
last, without waiting for the call of the Government, voluntarily marched out to oppose 
the common enemy, at the time making depredations on the frontiers of North Caro- 
lina, and on the seventh day of October, by a well-timed, judicious, and spirited 
attack, with a force inferior to that of Major Ferguson's, then advantageously posted 
on Kings Mountain with upwards to eleven hundred men, and by a perseverance and 
gallantry rarely to be met with even among veteran troops totally defeated the whole 
party, whereby a formidable and dangerous scheme of the enemy was effectually 
frustrated . ' ' 

PJJOn the 10th day of November, 1780, the House of Delegates of Virginia adopted the 
following resolution: 

"Resolved, That the thanks of this house be given to Colonel William Campbell, of 
the County of Washington, and the officers and soldiers under his command, who 
spontaneously equipped themselves and went forth to the aid of a sister State, suffer- 
ing distress under the invasion and ravage of the common enemy, and who, combined 
with some detachments from the neighboring States, judiciously concerted and 
bravely executed an attack on a party of the enemy commanded by Major Ferguson, 
consisting of about one thousand one hundred and five men, British and Tories, 
strongly posted on Kings Mountain, whereby, after a severe and bloody conflict of 
upward of an hour, the survivors of the enemy were compelled to surrender them- 
selves prisoners of war, and that Colonel Campbell be requested to communicate the 
contents of this resolution to the gallant officers and soldiers who composed his party." 

Richard Henry Lee, William Fleming, and Joseph Jones were appointed a com- 
mittee to communicate the foregoing vote of thanks to Col. Campbell, which they 
did, and to which Col. Campbell was pleased to return the following answer: 

Campbell's thanks. 

Gentlemen: I am iiiiinitely happy in receiving this public testimony of the 
approbation of my country for my late services in South Carolina. It is a reward 
far above my expectations, and I esteem it the noblest a soldier can receive from a 
virtuous people. Through you, gentlemen, I wish to communicate the high sense 
I have of it to the house of delegates. I owe, under Providence, much to the brave 
soldiers and officers who served with me, and I shall take the earliest opportunity of 
transmitting the resolve of your house to them, who, I am persuaded, will experience 
all the honest heartfelt satisfaction I feel m.yself on this occasion. 

THE general assembly OP VIRGINIA PRESENTS A HORSE TO GENERAL CAMPBELL. 

Upon the receipt of ('ol. Campbell's answer the General Assembly of Virginia 
adopted the following resolution: 

"Ordered, That a good horse, with elegant furniture, and a sword be purchased at 
the public expense and presented to General Campbell as a further testimony of the high 
sense the general assembly entertains of his late important services to his country'." 

The directions contained in this resolution were not carried into execution during 
the lifetime of Col. Campbell, but the horse and sword were afterwards presented to 

S. Rep. 932, 61-3 2 



10 MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 

hH irraiul-..ii. William Cunipl.ell Preston, long a Senator of the United States from 
South Can.liiui. aiul for many years Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
United States. 

CAMrHELI. EI.ECTKI) A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF VIRCilNIA AND MADE 
A BRKJADIER GENERAL OF MILITIA. 

On the lull oi J\ine, 1781, the General Assembly of Virginia adopted the followin;; 

resolution: , , . ,. , • ..l 

•• Resolved, That William Campbell. Esq., be appointed a brigadier general in the 
militia of this ( •ommonwealth, and the governor elect do commission him accordingly." 

CAMPBELL JOINS GREENE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 

The Continental Congress and the officers of the Continental Army ascertained 
the value of the mountain militia on the pressing application of Gen. Greene for 
men. Col. Arthur Campbell, county lieutenant of Washington County, immediately 
ordered out the militia of that county. WTiereupon. on February 25, 1781, 100 men 
under the command of Col. William Campbell left Abingdon and, on March 2, joined 
Gen. (ireene's army in North Carolina. Col. William Campbell was now to oppose 
Lord Conuvallis, who had imbibed a personal resentment toward him as the commander 
at Kings Mountain and who had threatened should Col. Campbell fall in his hands 
to have him instantly i)Ut to death for his rigor against the Tories. He evidently 
designed to hold Col. Campbell personally responsible for the execution of a number 
of Tory leaders at Mickerstadd in a fewdays after the capture of Col. Ferguson's 
army. ' This, instead of intimidating Col. Campbell, had the contrary effect, and, in 
turn, Cam|)bell resolved that should the fortunes of war place Comwallis in his power 
he should meet the same fate as befell Ferguson. 

HEROIC CONDUCT AT THE BATTLE OF GUILFORD. 

In January, 17S1, Gen. Nathanael Greene had wTitten a letter to the "famous Col. 
William Campbell," reminding him "of the glory he had already acquired and urging 
him to bring without loss of time a thousand good volunteers from over the mountains. 

At that time the Indians under Logan, with a northern band, were invading the 
Clinch Kiver region and Powells \'alley, and though the frontiersmen were pressed on 
that side, Campbell carried all that he could collect of them. 

At Whitsells Mills on Ready Creek, Campbell's and Preston's riflemen and Col. 
Washington's and Col. Lee's horsemen had a skirmish with the British and effected 
their object of saving flour and meal. 

On the loth of March, in the battle of Guilford Court House, Light-Horse Harry Lee's 
Legion and a portion of Campbell's riflemen were on the left flank. 

"During the obstinate contest," says Draper, "Campbell's corps fought with the 
h«'roic hraverv characteristic of their noble leader and of their own unrivaled repu- 
tation." Although they were finally pushed back. Col. Lee commended Campbell 
for the bravery of his battalion, and Greene declared that his faithful services claimed 
his warmest and entire approbation of his conduct. "Sensible of your merit," he said, 
"I feel a plea-surc in doing justice to it." 

SchenjK, a disiinguished North Carolina historian, in speaking of Col. Campbell's 
part in this battle, says: 

"Col. Cainpbell, with hLs Virginia and North Carolina riflemen, was the last to fire 
a gun on this bloody field, and was still firing when Greene sounded retreat." 

Campbell's death while mabching to torktown. 

(Jen. Campbell, with his command, was marching through Cumberland County, Va., 
in the direction of Yorktown, when he was afflicted with a pain in his breast, disabling 
him, and from which he expired on the 22d of August, 1781, in his thirty-sixth year, 
without seeing the great consummation for which his life's best energies and services 
had been expended, 

TRIBUTE OF LAFAYETTE. 

When (Jen. Lafayette received intelligence of the death of Gen. Campbell, he 
issued the folhiwing (trder: 

^ "The ^cm-ral has no doubt that the Army will unite with him in regretting Gen. 
tamitbell's death, an officer whose service must have endeared him to every citizen 
and in jmrticular to every American soldier. The glorv which Gen. Campbell 
acquired in tlie affairs of Kings Mountain and Guilford Court House does his memory 



MONUMENT TO GEN. WILLIAM CAMPBELL. 11 

everlasting honor and insures him a high rank among the defenders of liberty in the 
American cause. 

' ' The general wishes it had been possible for himself and the officers of the Army to 
pay him those honors to which his rank, but particularly his merit, so highly entitled 
him, but his great distance from the Army and our present situation render it impossible. 

"The lieutenants of the county will assemble a corps to pay military honors to the 
deceased general. 

"Gen. Stephens is requested to name a deputation of four field officers who will 
immediately repair to Rocky Mills (Hanover County), and in the name of the Army 
pay Gen. Campbell their last respects." 

And thus is presented, as briefly as may be, the recordof Gen. William Campbell as a 
citizen and soldier. 

Campbell is buried at Seven Mile Ford, near the Norfolk & Western Railroad, in 
Smyth County, which was once a part of Washington. The adjacent region is 
populous with his kinsfolk and with the descendants of the men of Kings Mountain, 

CAMPBELL COUNTY NAMED IN HIS HONOR. 

Campbell County, Va., was formed out of Bedford in 1784 and named in honor of 
Gen. William Campbell. 

There are five Campbell counties in the United States — in Georgia, Kentucky,. 
Tennessee,, Virginia, and South Dakota. 

GEN. Campbell's connections. 

About the year 1775 Gen. Campbell married Elizabeth Henry, a sister of Patrick 
Henry, of Virginia. By this marriage two children were born, viz, Charles Henry 
Campbell, a son, and Sarah Buchanan Campbell, a daughter. The son died before 
reaching maturity. The daughter became the wife of Col. Francis Preston, the first 
Member of the House of Representatives of the United States from southwestern 
Virginia. Sarah Buchanan Campbell, who married Col. Francis Preston, reared a 
distinguished family of children, to wit, William C. Preston, of South Carolina; Gen. 
John S. Preston, of South Carolina; Thomas L. Preston, of the University of Virginia^ 
Mrs. Wade Hampton, of South Carolina; Mrs. Robert J. Breckenridge, of Kentucky; 
Mrs. John Carrington, of Virginia; Mrs. John E. Floyd, of Washington County; Mrs. 
James McDowell, of Virginia, and Mrs. John M. Preston, of Abingdon, Va. 

Sarah Buchanan Campbell was reared by Thomas Madison, a brother of James 
Madison, President of the United States, and, after her marriage, lived in Abingdon 
until her death. 

THE claim foe CAMPBELl's RECOGNITION. 

It is respectfully submitted that the claims of Gen. William Campbell to national 
recognition are: 

First. That he was skillful and brave in a battle that reversed the ill fortunes of our 
country. 

Second. That he was the most commanding figure on the frontier in the Colonies in 
the great movement for civil, political, and religious liberty that resulted in the War 
of Independence. 

Third. That he was the leading spirit on that committee of safety in Virginia that 
made the first public declaration among the Colonies looking to armed resistance to 
British tyranny. 

Fourth. That the Battle of Kings Mountain, in which he was the commander of the 
colonial forces, was one of the most important of the battles of the Revolution and the 
turning point of that great war. 

Fifth. That his military life was one of great glory and renown, and that a monu- 
ment by the United States would be a fitting tribute to a soldier whose services were 
recognized by the Continental Congress, by the Senate and House of Delegates of the 
Commonwealth of Virginia, by Gen. Lafayette, Gen. Greene, and other leaders of the 
American Army. 

Sixth. That he was a typical representative of that class of people living on the 
frontier that rendered such valuable services to the Continental Congress in the strug- 
gle of the Colonies for liberty; and this monument should be erected at Abingdon, 
Washington County, Va., because it was for 50 years the principal frontier town in 
the development of the great West, because it was the home of Gen. Campbell, and 
during his life and to-day is the center of the homes of his descendants and the descend- 
ants of those brave soldiers who followed him to battle. 

o 



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